Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Lennox Vanvacter, 32, was convicted by a jury on October 10, 2024, after a three-day trial in federal court in Sioux City, to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. The verdict was returned following about 7 hours of jury deliberations.
The evidence at trial and sentencing showed that on July 30, 2023, Fort Dodge/Webster County law enforcement officers observed Vanvacter operating a motor vehicle. Based on their observations and the fact Vanvacter had an active arrest warrant for a previous eluding charge, officers attempted to initiate a traffic stop and apprehend him. When emergency lights/sirens were activated, Vanvacter engaged in a high-speed driving-based attempt (approximately 30 minutes in duration) to elude law enforcement, including speeds of 70 mph or more in Fort Dodge and 100 mph or more outside city limits in Webster County. Two sets of spike strips were deployed by officers and ultimately helped stop the vehicle. Once stopped, Vanvacter attempted to flee from the officers on foot but was captured a short distance later. Officers located a firearm, a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol, near the end of the vehicle’s flight path. Later, officers determined by review of patrol car camera video, that the firearm was thrown from the vehicle by Vanvacter. Vanvacter had a history of leading law enforcement on high-speed driving pursuits.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand Vanvacter was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and must serve a three-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Vanvacter remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa DCI Laboratory, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, as well as assisted by the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, the Sioux City Police Department, the Woodbury County Attorney’s Office, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hamilton County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 23-3037. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.